THE GRASSES— TALL OAT-GRASS. 31 



Dr. Vasey (of the Agricultural Department of 

 United States of America) says the cultivated grass 

 best adapted for winter pasture in the South is the 

 tall Meadow Oat-grass, which will thrive on a more 

 sandy soil than most of the cultivated grasses (though 

 it prefers a rich upland), and will yield more green 

 food in winter than any other grass. It and Cocks- 

 foot are thought to endure the heat and drought better 

 than any other cultivated grasses. 



Professor Phabks (of Mississippi) says it may be 

 sown in March or April and mown the same season, 

 but for a heavier yield it is better to sow in Sep- 

 tember or October. Not less than two bushels per 

 acre should be sown. 



The Seed. — According to Professor Phares it is a 

 little difficult to save the seed. In about ten days 

 after blooming the seeds begin to ripen and fall off, 

 the upper ones first; therefore, as soon as the top 

 seeds are sufficiently ripe, the panicle or flower head 

 should be cut off and dried, when the seed will all 

 thresh out readily. 



For an acre of arable land 20 lb. of seed is 

 sufficient ; but, as it is seldom desirable to cultivate 

 it except along with other sorts, from one-fourth to 

 one-half of that quantity will be found sufficient. 



There is a variety of this grass (Arrhenatherum 

 lulboswm) of which the base of the stem forms small 

 bulbs. This is rightly looked upon as a weed — or, 

 as a writer puts it in Morton's Encyclopcedia, "the 

 cultivation of it under any circumstances would not 

 fail to create suspicions of lunacy against the owner." 



As there is no way of distinguishing the seed of 

 the one variety from that of the other, it would 



